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Memphis and Charleston Railroad
 
 
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The Memphis and Charleston Railroad, completed in 1857, was the first railroad in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 to link the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
 with the Mississippi River
Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
. Chartered in 1846 the railroad ran from Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County, Tennessee. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff just south of the mouth of the Wolf River ....
 to Stevenson, Alabama
Stevenson, Alabama

Stevenson is a city in Jackson County, Alabama, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 1,770....
 through the towns of Corinth, Mississippi
Corinth, Mississippi

Corinth is a city in Alcorn County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,054 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Alcorn County, Mississippi....
 and Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Alabama and Limestone County, Alabama Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama, and the county seat of Madison County....
. In Alabama
Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the Southern United States of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west....
, the railroad followed the route of the Decatur-Courtland-Tuscumbia Railroad between, Tuscumbia
Tuscumbia, Alabama

Tuscumbia is a city in and the county seat of Colbert County, Alabama, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census, the population was 7,856 and is included in The Shoals MSA....
 and Decatur
Decatur, Alabama

Decatur is a city in Limestone County, Alabama and Morgan County, Alabama Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The city, known as "The River City", is located in North Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River....
, the first railroad to be built west of the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains or , often called the Appalachians, are a vast mountain range in eastern North America. Definitions vary on the precise boundaries of the Appalachians....
.

the Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
 broke out in 1861, this railroad became of strategic importance as the only east-west railroad running through the Confederacy
Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America formed as the government set up from 1861 to 1865 by eleven Southern United States U.S. state of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S....
.






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The Memphis and Charleston Railroad, completed in 1857, was the first railroad in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 to link the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
 with the Mississippi River
Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
. Chartered in 1846 the railroad ran from Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County, Tennessee. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff just south of the mouth of the Wolf River ....
 to Stevenson, Alabama
Stevenson, Alabama

Stevenson is a city in Jackson County, Alabama, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 1,770....
 through the towns of Corinth, Mississippi
Corinth, Mississippi

Corinth is a city in Alcorn County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,054 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Alcorn County, Mississippi....
 and Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Alabama and Limestone County, Alabama Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama, and the county seat of Madison County....
. In Alabama
Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the Southern United States of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west....
, the railroad followed the route of the Decatur-Courtland-Tuscumbia Railroad between, Tuscumbia
Tuscumbia, Alabama

Tuscumbia is a city in and the county seat of Colbert County, Alabama, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census, the population was 7,856 and is included in The Shoals MSA....
 and Decatur
Decatur, Alabama

Decatur is a city in Limestone County, Alabama and Morgan County, Alabama Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The city, known as "The River City", is located in North Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River....
, the first railroad to be built west of the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains or , often called the Appalachians, are a vast mountain range in eastern North America. Definitions vary on the precise boundaries of the Appalachians....
.

The American Civil War

When the Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
 broke out in 1861, this railroad became of strategic importance as the only east-west railroad running through the Confederacy
Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America formed as the government set up from 1861 to 1865 by eleven Southern United States U.S. state of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S....
. On the morning of April 11, 1862, Union
Union (American Civil War)

During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the Federal government of the United States of the United States, which was supported by the twenty-three states which were not part of the secession attempt by the 11 states that formed the Confederate States of America....
 troops led by General Mitchell captured Huntsville, cutting off this railroads use for the Confederacy.

The railroad and its route through Corinth, Mississippi
Corinth, Mississippi

Corinth is a city in Alcorn County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,054 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Alcorn County, Mississippi....
 was a significant factor in the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh

The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War, fought on April 6 and April 7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee....
 in 1862.

While the railroad briefly survived the American Civil War, the effect of the war on the railroad was devastating and led to its merger into other railroads of the same fate and eventually to become part of the Southern Railway system.

The Memphis and Charleston Route Today

The Memphis and Charleston Railroad eventually merged into the Southern Railway. The route is still in use today as part of the Norfolk Southern Railway
Norfolk Southern Railway

The Norfolk Southern Railway is a major Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. The company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada....
 line running between Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County, Tennessee. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff just south of the mouth of the Wolf River ....
 and Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga, "the Scenic City", is the fourth-largest city in Tennessee , and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, in the United States....
, Tennessee
Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
. US 72
U.S. Route 72

U.S. Route 72 is an east-west United States highway that runs for 337 miles from southeast Tennessee through northern Alabama and northern Mississippi to southwest Tennessee....
 roughly follows the original route of the Memphis and Charleston between Memphis, Tennessee and Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Muscle Shoals, Alabama

Muscle Shoals is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, Alabama, United States. As of 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated the population of the city to be 12,846....
. From Muscle Shoals to Huntsville, Alabama Alt. US 72
U.S. Route 72 Alternate

Alternate US-72 exists in Alabama on the mostly south side of the Tennessee River between Muscle Shoals, Alabama and Decatur, Alabama, while U.S....
 follows the original Memphis and Charleston. US 72 follows the route again from Huntsville to Stevenson, Alabama.

See also

  • Battle of Shiloh
    Battle of Shiloh

    The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War, fought on April 6 and April 7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee....
  • Huntsville Depot
    Huntsville Depot

    The Huntsville Depot located on the Norfolk Southern Railroad line in downtown Huntsville, Alabama is the oldest surviving Train station in Alabama and one of the oldest in the United States....